CHAPTER 60
That failed attempt to kill or seriously injure Greg and to implicate Kevin was a mistake for Khan. The local police, press, and media were immediately on the case. So, too, were the national crime agencies who, through Colin Asher, already had an advantage over the local police. Within hours, Colin Asher had revealed the source: Faisal World Travel on Park Road. By the end of the day, the local police were instructed to take a back seat, while the National Crime Agency and anti-terrorism force took over.
Meanwhile, in Thailand, Mark Dobson had discussed Cass’s case with the British embassy, and the embassy had gone into action, requesting assistance and cooperation from the Thai government. The Thais talked to counterparts in Malaysia, Indonesia, and the Philippines, and names and photographs, mostly from Cass’s collection, were passed around.
Jimmy called someone at the US Embassy, but in his usual style, he walked away from me to speak. When he finished, he wandered back, rolling another spliff and looking just as serious as he always did. “Take it easy, Kurt. Early days.”
But here’s what I know now happened. Malaysian police raided properties, and the Thai police moved into villages and on the border with orders to detain suspects.
They’d been told that their job was to find Kett, who was now thought to be Mohamed Jagrawan. But Kett was just a symbol of international Islamic terrorism, not a known face. They didn’t know what they were looking for because, unlike Bin Laden, there was no one single image of him that everyone everywhere recognised. Kett wore disguises, used different passports, and was a mystery even to his closest followers who knew him only by names like Rayeeson or Kaheedon. But then, international security forces became involved, and things happened quickly.
Within hours of Cass being found and with Mark Dobson providing proof that this wasn’t just about terrorism but big-scale international crime, someone, somewhere decided to mount a serious combined operation. The search for Kett suddenly became a top priority, and the evidence seemed to suggest he’d not gone far.
For Kevin’s mum, Silvia, the name Kett had meant nothing, but it was Silvia who had provided the lead from Cass’s photos. From those, Colin Asher had established that Mohamed Jagrawan had taken a flight from Islamabad to London Heathrow on a date in September. The name had also appeared on a recent Pakistan International Airlines passenger list on a flight to Kuala Lumpur, but there was no such name on any flights leaving Malaysia, and he could easily have got into Thailand on another passport.
Theoretically Mohamed Jagrawan was still there, but it was impossible to be sure. They began checking the other names pinpointed by Silvia and Cass—Hassan Bashir, a Pakistani; a Lebanese passport holder called Mahmoud Al-Sahili; an Italian passport holder, Pascale Marinello; and Afghan names like Shah Massoud, Abdul Rahim, and Mohammad Mohaqik.
Meanwhile, in UK, Kevin and Greg had been taken to the county police headquarters and were interviewed. Kevin, relieved of the pressure of what might happen to his mum, told them everything. Roger, Gordon, Willie, Walid, and Winston were also spoken to. When they admitted breaking into Khan’s cellar, the police seemed to find it almost amusing. Under the circumstances, no charges would be made.
By nightfall, the police had closed off Park Road, and the whole area was lit up by red-and-blue flashing lights as armed police and anti-terrorism officers surrounded Faisal World Travel and Kooky Akram’s car that was parked on the road outside.
Khan and Kooky were found in the cellar desperately trying to carry everything upstairs and out to Kooky’s car. There was a short kerfuffle, but within minutes, both Khan and Kooky were led in handcuffs to a waiting police car.
By midnight, another search was underway at Khan’s big three-storey house on the corner of Midland Road and Waverley Avenue. Dozens of residents, men and women, were rounded up and taken for questioning, while half of the city’s main through road was closed off.
By daybreak, the police had obtained permission to move into the Park Road mosque. They raided Cass’s old terraced house at 43 Shipley Street, other houses on Brick Street, and then moved into Raja’s store, Mootala’s, the Cash for Clothes shop, and Hussein’s Money Exchange on Baker Street.
By midday, the events in Park Road had become national news, and Roger, Willie, Gordon, Winston, and Walid were watching a police press conference on a portable TV in Gordon’s office.
“I can confirm that following credible intelligence reports, a large number of arrests have been made in the vicinity of Park Road. I can also confirm that this is not just an anti-terrorism investigation but involves widespread criminal activity. This is an ongoing investigation, and we are now working with international agencies and other police forces. A number of arrests have also been made in London, Birmingham, Manchester, and Edinburgh . . .”
“Is it true, sir, that there are links to leaders of Al Qaida and ISIL?”
“I can’t comment on that. This is an ongoing investigation.”
“But can you confirm that there are links with Southeast Asia, where a local boy who had been missing for two years was found?”
“Yes.”
“Has the boy been arrested, sir?”
“He’s being questioned as a witness.”
“Do you expect to arrest him later in connection with this?”
“No.”
“Have charges been brought against anyone, sir?”
“Yes. These include possession of materials likely to cause injury to others, money laundering, immigration offences, and human trafficking. Other arrests are likely.”
“Well,” Gordon said at last. “I never thought I’d live to see Khan’s shop front on national TV, least of all lit up by blue lights. I reckon if it comes on the market, we might put in a bid for it. What do you think, Wally? Shall we expand the business?”
It had been Gordon who suggested that the police might like to check The Lawns, the big modern five-bedroom house with its panoramic view across the river on Redhill Crescent. When the police called on Councillor Mohammed Basra, neither he or his wife were home.
Meanwhile, Kevin and his mum were still at police headquarters. “For your own protection,” a plain-clothes officer had told them.
Kett then made a mistake. A man resembling him was stopped in Johor Bahru on his way to Singapore carrying an Indonesian passport in the name of Muhammad Saputra with a photo that was an exact copy of Cass’s image 224. That same image was used in one of the few Indonesian passports Greg had made. The proof was there in the form of an almost invisible dot, a star of David, with the word Ziyuf.